On this Day, in 1956: the Hungarian Revolution toppled the Communist regime
On October 23, 1956, a peaceful student demonstration against the Communist regime in Budapest escalated into a full-scale revolution, whichContinue Reading
Tag: Communism
Konvergencie, 50 years on: The album that changed Slovakia’s musical scene
Bratislava, Slovakia – Not every year can we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the breakthrough album that radically changed Slovakia’sContinue Reading
Iconic photographer donates 2,000 photos to Czech Republic
Prague, Czech Republic – The world-famous Czech-born photographer Josef Koudelka said he was donating almost 2,000 of his photographs toContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1940: Polish resistance hero Witold Pilecki was voluntarily sent to Auschwitz
On September 19, 1940, Polish resistance hero Witold Pilecki was voluntarily captured and sent to Auschwitz to gather intelligence fromContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1939: the Red Army invaded Poland from the east
On September 17, 1939, sixteen days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west and without a formal declaration ofContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1945: the “Gouzenko Affair” marked the beginning of the Cold War
On September 5, 1945, three days after the end of World War II, Soviet embassy clerk Igor Gouzenko defected toContinue Reading
What’s the latest spat between Poland and Israel really about?
The most recent Polish-Israeli diplomatic spat, which centers around Polish legislation limiting the statute of limitations on restitution claims forContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1980: the Gdańsk Agreement enabled the creation of Solidarność
On August 31, 1980, strikers at Poland’s Gdańsk shipyard and the communist regime signed the historic Gdańsk Agreement, which enabled the creationContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1989: Tadeusz Mazowiecki became Poland’s first non-Communist PM in 43 years
On August 24, 1989, one of the most important architects of the Polish Round Table Talks, Tadeusz Mazowiecki was pickedContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1968: Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia and crushed the Prague Spring
On August 21, 1968, 250,000 Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia and crushed the Prague Spring, successfully stopping Alexander Dubček’s liberalisationContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1986: the Hungarian Grand Prix was the first F1 race held behind the Iron Curtain
On August 10, 1986, held at the newly constructed Hungaroring and attended by 200,000 spectators from across the Eastern Bloc,Continue Reading
On this Day, in 1986: Queen performed in Budapest in front of 80,000 people
On July 27, 1986, British rock band Queen performed at Budapest’s Népstadion in front of a crowd of nearly 80,000Continue Reading
On this Day, in 1944: the Polish Committee of National Liberation was proclaimed
On July 22, 1944, the Soviet-backed Polish Committee of National Liberation published its political manifesto, establishing itself as the executiveContinue Reading
Czech Radio’s Russian website blocked over 20-year-old article
Prague, Czech Republic – The Russian-language website of Radio Prague International has been blocked in Russia over a 20-year-old articleContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1966: Che Guevara left Prague after a mysterious stay in Czechoslovakia
On 19 July, 1966, Argentine guerillero and key figure of the Cuban revolution Ernesto Che Guevara boarded a plane fromContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1989: diplomatic relations between Poland and the Holy See were restored
On July 17, 1989, diplomatic relations between Poland and the Holy See were officially restored – the first time theContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1989: Imre Nagy and other leaders of the Hungarian Revolution were rehabilitated
On June 16, 1989, Imre Nagy, Pál Maléter and other prominent figures of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 were rehabilitatedContinue Reading
Interview: “Slovakia needs to recognize its diaspora”
Our Sunday interview with Zuzana Palovic, co-founder of the Bratislava-based NGO Global Slovakia. We talk Slovakia’s place and brand inContinue Reading
Super Slovaks: Alexander Dubček and “socialism with a human face”
This year marks 100 years since the birth of Alexander Dubček. To some, Dubček is the greatest of all Slovaks.Continue Reading
Jerzy Popiełuszko statue vandalized in New York City on Polish Constitution Day
Warsaw, Poland – A statue of Solidarity chaplain Jerzy Popiełuszko has reportedly been vandalized in New York City, angering theContinue Reading